MLB REPORTDS: Rangers focus on future; Royals lose

Sunday

Apr 15, 2018 at 12:01 AM

The Dallas Morning News

HOUSTON (TNS)— The mood in the Rangers’ clubhouse Friday after the most recent roster disaster: Eerily quiet.

Well, it was until players started emulating, shall we say, the noise of a whoopee cushion while some of their younger teammates — and there are now a lot of them — were trying to power their way through interviews.

At least they haven’t lost their sense of humor.

They may need it.

With Elvis Andrus and his club-sized boom box the latest disabled list casualties, the Rangers rough start may only get tougher. On Friday, though they actually rallied to momentarily tie the game, the Rangers fell to Houston 3-2. It was their fifth straight loss and dropped the team to 4-11 through 15 games, matching their worst-ever 15 game start. They have never reached the 16-game mark at 4-12.

The Rangers fell behind 2-0 on a pair of George Springer homers, tied it in the seventh on homers by Joey Gallo and Robinson Chirinos and then fell behind in the eighth when rookie Drew Robinson’s three-base error allowed the go-ahead run to score from first.

Along the way, the Rangers struck out 17 times against Gerrit Cole and a trio of relievers. They went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position to fall to .198 for those situations this season; Adrian Beltre, who grounded out with the go-ahead run on base in the eighth, is hitless in 10 RISP at-bats this season.

Angels 5, KC 4

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The worst-performing bullpen in the American League prompted a pregame move Friday, Royals manager Ned Yost trying something — anything — to find the right combination to close out a victory. Starter Jason Hammel had been the most recent victim of those struggles, his six shutout innings five days ago failing to hold up.

Hammel gave his bullpen a second opportunity Friday.

It returned him an identical outcome.

After Hammel departed with a two-run lead on Friday, the Royals bullpen couldn’t make it stick, and the Angels escaped with a 5-4 win in front of an announced crowd of 15,011 at Kauffman Stadium.

Royals reliever Justin Grimm was charged with the blown save in the eighth inning after the Angels flipped a one-run deficit into a one-run lead in the frame. Luis Valbuena had the game-tying single, one of three hits in the inning, and Ian Kinsler followed with a go-ahead sacrifice fly.

The Royals losing streak hit four games. The Angels have won six straight.

The difference? Those bullpens. Five Angels relievers combined for four shutout innings, finished off by closer Keynan Middleton. They escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the sixth, the Royals failing to tack on to a 4-2 lead. Blake Wood was credited with the win.

The Royals’ Jon Jay led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a single, but Abraham Almonte grounded into his second double play of the game. Whit Merrifield followed with a two-out walk before he was caught stealing to end the game with Mike Moustakas standing at the plate.

Cards 5, Reds 3

CINCINNATI — After an evening that saw Luke Weaver shine and Yadier Molina flummox the Reds fans (yet again), the Cardinals put a curious sheen on what should have been a neat, tidy win Friday night.

With a save situation, they didn’t go to their closer.

With an opportunity to use $14-million man Greg Holland in his first save situation of the season, they didn’t.

Bud Norris got the call.

The man who would be closer — if not for the signing of Holland — pitched a scoreless ninth inning to secure a 5-3 victory against Cincinnati at Great American Ball Park.

Weaver piloted through four innings without allowing a hit, and when he did the Cardinals tried to preserve the no-hitter by challenging the call at first base.

Replay did not prove conclusively that Paul DeJong’s throw beat Devin Mesoraco to first base. That was the first it Weaver allowed — an infield single. The second one came in the sixth inning, and catcher Molina nearly turned it into an out, too. Through six innings at one of the hardest ballparks in the majors to tame, Weaver had allowed two hits — and combined they would barely have reached the outfield grass.

Neither left the reach of an infielder.

Rockies 2, Nationals 1

WASHINGTON - Trea Turner has made the play hundreds of times. He is not a textbook fundamental shortstop, but he has plenty of range and handles the basics. D.J. LeMahieu’s sixth-inning groundball was basic and well within his range.

But as he cut off that groundball up the middle and dropped his glove to scoop it off the dirt, he missed. The ball bounced off his glove and away. LeMahieu stood safely on first base. A single and a sacrifice fly later, LeMahieu scored the go-ahead run in a game the Nationals would never tie. They lost to the Colorado Rockies, 2-1. The last time this team was two games under .500 was May 5, 2015.

April is too early for sinking feelings. But whatever comes before that feeling is setting in here. When a lineup is not hitting, concerns follow because, fairly or not, most see offensive production as the by-product of energy and life. When a team is not hitting, that team looks lifeless. So the Nationals, fairly or not, look lifeless now.

Tanner Roark threw Carlos Gonzalez a 2-0 change-up over the plate that the veteran hit out in the fourth inning for the Rockies’ first hit of the evening.

Pirates 7, Marlins 2

MIAMI — The last time Dillon Peters pitched he became the first Marlins pitcher to ever allow two grand slams in one game.

That’s a rough day even for the Charlie Brown All-Stars. Peters had to stew about it for five days after allowing nine runs in 22/3 innings in the worst outing of his young career.

Peters put that behind him with six solid innings, holding the Pirates to two runs in a 7-2 victory that ended the Marlins’ three-game losing streak Friday at Marlins Park.

The Marlins helped Peters earn his second win of the season with a season-high 14 hits. That included four by JB Shuck, who scored twice in his first game for Miami. In doing so, Shuck tied the record for most hits in a Marlins debut, shared by four others (most recently, Emilio Bonifacio, April 6, 2009).

Another J.B. — Justin Bour — contributed a two-run home run off the facing of the second deck in right. It was his third homer, all coming on the homestand.

In addition, rookie Lewis Brinson snapped a 0-for-26 hitless streak with a clean single to left in the sixth inning.

Peters allowed four hits two earned runs while striking out three and walking two.

Elias Diaz hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning to give the Pirates a brief 2-1 lead.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jorge Alfaro had already struck out twice on Friday night when he fell into a two-strike count with two outs and a runner on second. Scott Kingery’s ninth-inning double looked sure to be wasted. Alfaro was a whiff away from his 16th strikeout of the season.

Rays closer Alex Colome fired another cutter, the pitch Alfaro had already swung helplessly at twice in the at-bat. But there would not be a third miss. Alfaro smacked the cutter and fired a ground ball through the left side of the infield. Kingery raced for home and the Phillies had the go-ahead run in a 2-1 win.

Alfaro has shown promise during the first weeks of the season. But he has also had his challenges. It is no secret that he is prone to strike outs. But the Phillies are willing to work through his growing pains, believing that there is a lot to unlock in his bat. He showed a glimpse of that on Friday when he was down to his final strike.

The hit came a bit late to give Vince Velasquez a win as the right-hander settled for a no-decision after an excellent night. He allowed just one run before being lifted after recording two outs in the seventh. The right-hander threw 93 pitches, struck out seven, walked one, and allowed just four hits. Velasquez looked like a pitcher and not simply a thrower.

He threw 14 change-ups after throwing just one over his previous two starts. He relied on his fastball for just 51 percent of his pitches, Velasquez’ lowest rate since 2016. The attack worked as Velasquez used his change-up for four swinging strikes and used off-speed pitches for his first three strikeouts. He pitched with a purpose.

Luis Garcia relieved Velasquez with a runner on third and the right-hander battled Wilson Ramos for eight pitches before finally inducing a fly out. It was a big spot for Garcia and he came through. Adam Morgan and Edubray Ramos carried the baton to Hector Neris, who converted his second save of the season.

J.P. Crawford doubled in the sixth as he recorded a hit for the third straight game after starting the season 1-for-25. Crawford scored two batters later when Carlos Santana dropped a single into shallow right field. The Phillies appeared to have a rally brewing but it was quickly extinguished. Odubel Herrera struck out with runners on first and third and Nick Williams struck out after Rhys Hoskins was walked to load the bases. The Phillies struck out 13 times and have double-digit strikeouts this season in eight of their 12 games.

It is not only Alfaro’s bat that has the Phillies dreaming but it is also his work behind the plate. Manager Gabe Kapler called Alfaro the most improved player in baseball for the strides he made on defense. He is not perfect, but he is showing potential. He made a terrific catch in the ninth inning, chasing down a foul ball behind the plate and reaching into the stands for the out. Minutes earlier, he plated the go-ahead run. Now he was securing the win.

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(c)2018 The Philadelphia Inquirer

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Akron Beacon Journal

CLEVELAND — The Indians looked to be cruising to their sixth consecutive win, but a four-run lead was squandered in an 8-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays Friday night at Progressive Field.

The Indians opened a 4-0 advantage through the second inning but allowed eight unanswered runs — four in the fourth, the decisive blow in the seventh and then some insurance runs in the ninth — to fall to 8-6 this season.

Similar to the temperature dropping more than 30 degrees a few hours before the first pitch, the Indians started well but had a quality start derailed.

The Indians jumped on an opposing starting pitcher for the second consecutive night to build a sizable lead. This time, it was against Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman.

The Indians went up 2-0 after the first inning on RBI singles by Yonder Alonso and Tyler Naquin. In the second, Francisco Lindor ripped an RBI double at 111 mph to right field and Jason Kipnis followed by drilling a ball to center field that went for a ground-rule double when Kevin Pillar couldn’t track it down to make it 4-0.

As the Cleveland weather has warmed up, so too has Lindor. He had a solo home run and an RBI double in Thursday night’s 9-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. On Friday night, he followed that up by going 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. He also notched the 100th double of his career.

Indians starting pitcher Mike Clevinger cruised through the first three innings Friday night, allowing only one hit and striking out four. Then the wheels came off in a fourth inning that took 39 pitches to finish, and the Indians never recovered.

Clevinger lost the strike zone, walked two batters and then allowed an RBI single to Pillar with two outs. Aledmys Diaz followed by belting a three-run home run to center field, quickly erasing the Indians’ advantage. Just like that, a game of which the Indians looked to be in control quickly was sent back to square one.

Some aggressiveness by Lindor didn’t pay off in the sixth. With Lindor on second and two outs, Jose Ramirez lined a ball to second baseman Devon Travis, who stopped the ball but couldn’t field it cleanly. Lindor made the turn around third, but the throw beat him to the plate and he was tagged out to end the inning with the score still tied 4-4.

One inning later, the Blue Jays took their first lead of the night. With Steve Pearce on second base, Andrew Miller thought he had delivered strike three to Teoscar Hernandez with a slider on the outside corner. Miller took a few steps toward the dugout and Hernandez, as well, started his walk from the plate. It was called a ball, though, and the next pitch was a slider that stayed up in the zone and Hernandez drove it to left field for a go-ahead, RBI-double.

The Blue Jays (9-5) piled on Matt Belisle on the ninth to seal it. Pearce doubled home two runs and Hernandez followed with an RBI double to make it eight unanswered runs and extend the Blue Jays’ lead to 8-4.

The loss dropped the Indians to 6-2 on the current homestand.

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(c)2018 Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)

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Newsday

NEW YORK — It’s technically possible for the Mets to never lose again.

OK, fine, it’s not remotely realistic, but there were moments in Friday’s 6-5 win over the Brewers when the Mets did look downright unbeatable. It wasn’t necessarily pitching dominance — Steven Matz was serviceable, but hardly dominant — and it wasn’t pristine fielding (Jay Bruce had an error in right that led to a run). It was more how every time the Brewers seemed to have an advantage, the Mets pounced back, harder and louder, and never seemed to lose control.

Travis Shaw hit a solo home run off Seth Lugo in the eighth to draw the Brewers to within one, but Robert Gsellman — a continued revelation out of the bullpen — came in with two runners on to shut the door, and Jeurys Familia closed it down with a 1-2-3 ninth to give the Mets their ninth straight win. They improved to 11-1, the best start in franchise history.

Todd Frazier hit two home runs and Bruce had a run-scoring double and scored on a wild pitch, and the Mets made it a very happy night for a rollicking crowd that was very high on a team that has given them every reason to celebrate.

And all this after the team actually got some very bad news earlier in the day: Travis d’Arnaud is getting Tommy John surgery on the partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament, and is lost for the year, and Kevin Plawecki has a hairline fracture in his hand, costing him around three to four weeks.

But things that would have devastated the Mets last year so far can’t touch them in what’s been a very charmed beginning of this year.

The Mets appeared to be well on their way, with an apparent leadoff double by Michael Conforto in the first inning, but though the shot was called back for being foul — and Conforto eventually struck out — it didn’t stop them any. Asdrubal Cabrera followed up with a real double to the right-field corner, and Yoenis Cespedes lined a single to left to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. (They’re charmed, remember?)

Frazier made it 2-0 leading off the second inning, hitting Zach Davies’ 86-mph cutter to the base of the apple in straightaway center for his first home run as a Met.

After no-hitting the Brewers for three innings, Matz got into trouble in the fourth, allowing a two-out double to Jesus Aguilar and a game-tying home run to Hernan Perez. But the discomfort was short-lived: Frazier hit his second homer of the game to lead off the bottom of the inning, putting the Mets back up 3-2. It was Frazier’s ninth multi-home run game. The Mets added two runs in the fifth, knocking out Davies after 41/3 innings. With two on and one out, Bruce hit a deep double to the gap in right-center, scoring Conforto, who had walked. Adrian Gonzalez followed with a sacrifice fly to deep center.

Bruce later scored from third on reliever Dan Jennings’ wild pitch, good for a 6-2 lead.

The Brewers got two back against Matz in the sixth, when Bruce misplayed a ball in right for a two-base error, and Ryan Braun homered to left to cut the lead to 6-4. That more or less spelled the end of the night for Matz, who pitched 51/3 innings, allowing four runs, three earned, and three hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

Shaw hit his second home run of the year in the eighth, as the Mets finally — briefly — seemed on the ropes. Mickey Callaway used four pitchers that inning, concluding with Gsellmen, who got Jett Bandy to ground out softly to end the inning.

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(c)2018 Newsday

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The Baltimore Sun

BOSTON — Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman not only suffered his shortest outing of this young season Friday night at Fenway Park, but he appeared completely out of whack against the Boston Red Sox in the brief time he was on the mound.

Tillman lasted just three batters into the third inning, allowing 10 of the 16 batters he faced to reach base, giving up six runs on seven hits, two walks and a hit batter in the Orioles’ 7-3 loss.

Perhaps worse than that pitching line was Tillman’s pitch chart, which displayed an incredible lack of command.

As a result, the division-leading Red Sox improved to 11-2 while the Orioles lost for the third time in four games to slip to 5-9.

It marked Tillman’s shortest outing since Aug. 3, when he also lasted two-plus innings and allowed seven runs (five earned) on six hits and two walks.

When the Orioles signed Tillman to a one-year, $3 million deal during spring training, they did so because they believed the right-hander had put last season’s struggles in the past. The team didn’t consummate an agreement until arriving at a figure it would be comfortable buying out on Tillman if he struggled extensively out of the gate.

But Tillman’s ERA is now 11.91 three starts into the season. He hasn’t won a decision since May 7 last season, going 21 straight starts without a win.

He has allowed 22 hits and 10 walks over 11 1/3 innings this season for a 2.82 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched).

For a four-year stretch from 2013 to 2016, Tillman was not only the Orioles’ most consistent starter but always seemed to be the stopper when the team’s rotation began to skid. But on Friday night, Tillman was just the opposite, unable to extend the Orioles’ string of three straight quality starts.

Despite saying he’s fine physically, Tillman (0-3) has done little to erase the shoulder concerns that plagued him throughout 2017 after he went on the disabled late in the 2016 season with a shoulder injury.

Since 2016, his fastball velocity has steadily declined — his four-seamer averaged 89.6 mph on Friday — which isn’t a major concern if he can execute his other pitches effectively, which Tillman has been unable to do this season.

He pitched mainly with his fastball Friday, never finding his feel for the pitch, and leading to some sharply hit balls by the Red Sox. Of the 13 pitches Boston batters put in play, four of them were hit with exit velocities of 104 mph or higher. In 57 pitches, Tillman induced just two swinging strikes.

Tillman has had success against the Red Sox in his career, entering the night 10-4 with a 3.03 ERA in 21 career starts against them. He was also 5-1 with a 2.39 ERA in nine career starts at Fenway Park

The most damaging hit off Tillman wasn’t a good one — Eduardo Nunez’s three-run homer over the Green Monster to put the Red Sox up 4-1 in the first inning had a hit percentage of just 49 percent. It came after Tillman issued a leadoff walk to Mookie Betts, a one-out single to Mitch Moreland, a sacrifice fly to J.D. Martinez and a double to Rafael Devers.

Back-to-back doubles by No. 9 hitter Tzu-Wei Lin and Betts extended the Orioles’ deficit to 5-1 in the second. After opening the third inning allowing consecutive hits to Devers and Nunez and then hitting Jackie Bradley Jr. with a pitch, Tillman was pulled by Orioles manager Buck Showalter.

He left the game with the bases loaded and reliever Pedro Araujo’s first pitch got past catcher Caleb Joseph for a passed ball to score the sixth run charged to Tillman.

Mike Wright Jr. allowed the Red Sox’s final run in the sixth.

The Orioles scored in the first on Adam Jones’ sacrifice fly and in the seventh on Manny Machado’s two-run double.

He hit two home runs in his second start since returning from the disabled list, and the Yankees held on for an 8-6 victory over the Tigers in front of 21,363 at Comerica Park.

An erratic Dellin Betances outing in the eighth nearly flipped the night’s script entirely — he allowed three runs and saw the go-ahead run come to the plate — but with two on and two out, Chad Green struck out Dixon Machado. Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in a perfect ninth for his second save.

Held to three hits in the first six innings, the Tigers pounded out nine in the seventh and eighth to cut a 6-1 deficit to 8-6.

The Yankees (7-7) had 11 hits, three by Ronald Torreyes and two each by Brett Gardner, Miguel Andujar and Hicks.

The latter, of course, had the most memorable night.

After a long double by Gary Sanchez, Hicks put the Yankees on the scoreboard in the second with an inside-the-park two-run homer, a shot to right-center off right-hander Mike Fiers. The ball caromed off the scoreboard wall and rolled toward left-center, far away from center fielder Leonys Martin. Hicks did not appear to run at full speed out of the box but nevertheless easily beat the throw home, diving across the plate with a headfirst slide — and a big smile on his face — before pounding the ground with both hands.

Hicks made it 6-1 in the sixth with a drive well over the right-field fence off Fiers. He became the first Yankee with a multi-homer game that included an inside-the-parker since Hank Bauer did it on May 30, 1956 against the Senators.

Jordan Montgomery, who failed to make it through five innings last Sunday after being spotted a 5-0 first-inning lead, was charged with three runs in six innings-plus. He took a 6-1 lead into the seventh before being knocked out by Victor Martinez’s RBI double and Gardner’s throwing error.

David Robertson allowed an inherited runner to score on a sacrifice fly to make it 6-3 and the Tigers got the tying run to the plate, but Robertson struck out Martin on a sweeping curve.

The Yankees made it 8-3 in the eighth on a triple by Andujar, Torreyes’ RBI single and Didi Gregorius’ sacrifice fly.

Betances immediately gave one back in the bottom half on Jeimer Candelario’s leadoff homer, and the inning spiraled from there for the right-hander, who had entered the game with three straight scoreless outings.

The Yankees went to work against Fiers in the second. Sanchez made it five hits in his last 10 at-bats with a smoked one-out double on an 0-and-2 fastball that right fielder Nick Castellanos appeared to be in fear of as it sailed over him. Hicks followed and launched a first-pitch changeup off the base of the wall in right-center. The ball hit the wall at just the right angle, from the Yankees’ perspective, and skittered far away from center fielder Martin. It was the Yankees’ first inside-the-park homer since Curtis Granderson’s on Aug. 21, 2011.

In the fifth, Andujar doubled and Gardner dumped a one-out blooper to center that fell for an RBI double. Aaron Judge extended his hitting streak to 11 games with an RBI single to right and stole second as Giancarlo Stanton struck out. Gregorius then bounced one to short right into the shift, but Machado’s throw missed first base by a few yards for a run-scoring error.

James McCann’s leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning made it 5-1.

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(c)2018 Newsday

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The Oakland Tribune

SEATTLE — The good news for the Oakland A’s — Khris Davis appears to be starting one of his monstrous power streaks. The bad news — it wasn’t enough to overcome a bad inning from the A’s bullpen.

Davis continued his offensive power surge that seemed to be sparked a few nights ago in Los Angeles by blasting two home runs Friday night against the Seattle Mariners, making it three home runs in the past two games. But one painful inning was a backbreaker for the A’s in a 7-4 loss.

Chris Hatcher’s rough start to the season got worse. After a mound visit from catcher Jonathan Lucroy on a 2-2 count, Hatcher delivered a cutter to Mitch Haniger that was launched over the left field wall for a three-run homer to put give the Mariners a 5-3 lead. Two batters later, Daniel Vogelbach crushed a two-run home run to right off Hatcher. It was a five-run seventh inning allowed by the A’s bullpen, with all five runs coming with two outs.

Three of those five runs were charged to Hatcher, who now holds a 13.50 ERA through six appearances this season.

Davis’ first home run of the night came in the first inning on a 2-1 sinker from Mike Leake that was left up in the zone for a two-run bomb. The second was a solo shot that came in eighth on a 2-1 slider from Juan Nicasio to cut the A’s (5-9) deficit to 7-4. As he often does, both home runs went to the deepest part of the yard as they sailed over the wall in center field.

Matt Chapman killed some time in the A’s clubhouse before Friday night’s game against the Mariners (7-4) by imitating the batting stance and swing of every hitter on the roster, much to the delight of his teammates. But it might be his own swing other hitters should be trying to copy right now.

Chapman blasted his team-leading home run of the season in the sixth inning off Leake. The solo shot to center put the A’s ahead 3-2 at the time.

Chapman has now hit a home run in each of the A’s first five series this season.

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(c)2018 The Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Calif.)

Visit The Oakland Tribune (Oakland, Calif.) at www.insidebayarea.com

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